Chapter 1 Chaos, Darkness, Bizarre, Unspeakable

This was a space beyond human comprehension, a corner of the planet hidden since time immemorial, but unknown to mortals in the present world. In this strange place without distance, height, or direction, one could only see countless broken towers, askew palaces, and mysterious long bridges connecting these twisted buildings floating in the air. In the distant and dark chaos, inexplicable stars and nebulae illuminated this dark world for centuries, casting strange and unpredictable shadows on each building floating in the void, inspiring trepidation in those who beheld them.

No one knew who built these structures, nor did anyone know which race this space once belonged to. Only one thing was certain: the masters of this space were exceptionally powerful and possessed technologies far beyond common sense, because the dilapidated architectural remains floating in the air were all extraordinarily sturdy, and even the most powerful alien beings could hardly shake them.

And now, fierce battles were erupting throughout this space.

A shattered and collapsed palace floated in a corner of the void, its remaining structure still revealing its former grandeur. On the fractured outer wall of the palace, several dazzling white flashes suddenly erupted, and along with the firelight, one could vaguely see several figures in black trench coats. Continuous shouts of battle rang out from all directions; this once peaceful and sacred place had now become a sinful battlefield of melee and betrayal.

A tall, dark-skinned high-ranking demon hunter stood at the palace entrance, wielding a bizarrely shaped giant crucifix, repeatedly knocking away several crossbow bolts fired at him. Behind him, a faint, shimmering light barrier glowed in front of the palace gate, teetering on the verge of collapse, having clearly withstood too many attacks. A small group of exhausted demon hunters hid behind several collapsed stone pillars, desperately fighting back with crossbows and ranged magic. A warrior shouted, "Master Tutankhein! We can't hold this place!"

The stout demon hunter Tutankhein slammed the giant crucifix, which could be considered a warhammer, heavily on the ground. As the crucifix landed, it triggered a flash of blinding electricity, temporarily creating a barrier outside the palace. He frowned as he looked around, seeing an overwhelming disadvantage that completely favored the enemy: almost every warrior on his side was wounded, and the runic barriers on the outer layer of the palace were almost completely extinguished.

Although the warriors were still holding their ground, the physical defenses were clearly on the verge of collapse.

Just as he was observing the situation, a tremendous explosion suddenly came from afar, the dazzling flash illuminating the dark space for a kilometer around. He looked up and saw a fierce blaze erupting from the top of a spire hundreds of meters away. The entire tower shone like a blazing torch, illuminating the surroundings, and on the tower's body, bright runic lines were bursting one by one from top to bottom: these were the barriers set up on the building by later occupants. Compared to the indestructible building itself, these crude magical tricks seemed too fragile.

"...The energy node is lost," Tutankhein said expressionlessly as he watched this scene, waving his hand to open the light barrier at the palace gate. "Retreat to the second line of defense."

The exhausted warriors were granted amnesty and quickly retreated into the palace, with Tutankhein bringing up the rear. After these guards retreated, countless crossbow bolts and magic missiles were immediately unleashed even more recklessly on the protective light barrier: all these attacks avoided the exceptionally sturdy architectural structure of the palace itself, instead targeting the fragile additional protections. The light barrier flickered violently under the onslaught, and it seemed to be only a matter of time before it completely collapsed.

Tutankhein strode through the palace corridors, the occasional enormous explosion causing the ground beneath his feet to tremble. Judging from the sound of the explosions and the surrounding tremors, the attackers were already using more powerful siege weapons—perhaps the rebel forces who had attacked the energy node had joined them. Tutankhein grabbed a young hunter running past him. "Where is Master Bai Huo?"

The young hunter's eyes were filled with fear, and he almost screamed when Tutankhein grabbed him. He gasped for breath, stammering, "Just... just retreated from the side wall defense line, resting in the inner hall."

Tutankhein nodded calmly and strode towards the inner hall, but before leaving, he suddenly turned around and called out to the young hunter. "Calm down, child. On the day you took up the holy silver weaponry, you should no longer fear death in battle."

The young hunter stared blankly at Tutankhein, a smile more bitter than tears on his face. "I'm not afraid of dying at the hands of demons, but those outside are..."

"Go, hold the line," Tutankhein interrupted the young man. "Standing behind you are your brothers and sisters. More precious are those who still fight alongside you than those who have lost their minds."

Inner Hall.

As soon as Tutankhein stepped into this place, he felt a wave of heat surging from all directions, scorching both his body and soul. He looked up and saw a silver-haired maiden with hair reaching her waist standing in a sea of holy flames. The flames surged around the silver-haired maiden, the silvery-white sea of fire both real and like a mental illusion, spreading throughout the hall, but apart from the tangible heat, nothing in the palace was ignited by the holy flames. Tutankhein paused, ignored the vast sea of fire, and strode forward. "The energy node at Xi Ta has fallen."

"I know, I can feel it," the silver-haired maiden turned around, one hand pressed against her side, where there was a shocking wound. However, what flowed from the wound was not blood, but streams of white flame that seemed to flow like liquid. "The outer barrier should be breaking soon as well."

"How are your injuries?" Tutankhein frowned. "I heard you were ambushed."

Bai Huo smiled calmly, as if discussing someone else's affairs. "That guy almost succeeded. If his spirit had been a little more resilient, he could have endured half a second longer of the pain of being burned by the holy flames."

As she spoke, she removed her hand covering her side, and the wound could be seen healing at a speed visible to the naked eye, her self-healing ability almost akin to that of a werewolf.

Boom--

Another explosion came from outside the palace, and the entire inner hall shook violently. Tutankhein looked up at the dome structure of the hall, his tone still steady. "It should be able to hold out for a few more days. These buildings themselves are difficult to destroy. After the outer barrier breaks, they can only send small groups of warriors in to fight us hand-to-hand. Everyone here is skilled in close combat."

"But holding out for a few more days is meaningless," Bai Huo shook her head. "Should we consider closing the Qun Xing Tower? Or blowing it up..." (Tower of Stars)

Tutankhein frowned. "That way we will lose the holy land forever, and it may not completely seal off this space—the Saints probably know how to reopen the Qun Xing Tower from the inside."

The two were silent for a moment. As Bai Huo's injuries gradually recovered, the scorching sea of fire in the inner hall gradually dissipated. Tutankhein broke the silence again. "Elder Ha Su is probably still alive."

Bai Huo's eyes widened, and this news finally broke the calm she had maintained until now.

"The mentor is still alive? He..."

"He was just taken away, but the Saints shouldn't rashly execute a demon hunter at the Elder level. According to intelligence from other places, the rebels are more inclined to capture Elders alive, probably to put them to some use," Tutankhein looked into Bai Huo's eyes. "Just as I feared, the Saints haven't gone mad—or at least they haven't completely gone mad, so they have tactics and some kind of goal, which will make them even more difficult to deal with."

Bai Huo's breathing became faintly rapid, and tiny sparks began to burst in the air around her.

"Bai Huo, there's a mission that probably only you can complete," Tutankhein suddenly said. Although he and Bai Huo were both "Master" level demon hunters, there was a vast difference in their seniority, and in the entire demon hunter group, he was still considered Bai Huo's superior. "Give this to the Countess."

As he spoke, he took out a delicate platinum box from his body. After opening the platinum box, inside was a blood-red crystal.

"This is..."

"Left by Elder Ha Su. It is said that Saint Bedoris suddenly gave it to him a month ago, and the Saint left a sentence: 'In case of emergency, this thing should be given to the Countess.' I think His Excellency Bedoris is referring to the situation now."

"The Countess..." Bai Huo felt a little overwhelmed. "You mean..."

"There is only one ancient one in this world who can be addressed as such by Saint Bedoris."